A practical application of a semiconductor device typified by an ID chip being able to transmit data such as identification data wirelessly has been advanced in various fields. Moreover, a market of the semiconductor device as a new communication terminal is expected to expand. The ID chip is also called a wireless tag, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag, or an IC tag. The ID chip having an antenna and an integrated circuit formed using a semiconductor substrate is being put into practical use.
Compared to a magnetic card and a barcode from which the stored data can be read wirelessly, the ID chip has advantages that the stored data are in no danger of being read by physical means and that the data are hard to be altered. Moreover, the ID chip has another advantage that the ID chip is difficult to be forged because the ID chip requires a relatively large-scaled production facility unlike the magnetic card and the barcode.
For example, a patent document 1 discloses a method for preventing the illegal use of the securities, for allowing the reuse of the securities when the securities are returned to the legitimate administrator in the case of the securities lost or stolen, by mounting the IC chip on the securities.
[Patent Document] Japanese Patent Document Laid-Open No.: 2001-260580